'87 Wrangler valve cover gaket

[duckkillerclyde]

Hey guys and gals;
Bought my first Jeep last night, going to try and clean it up a bit tomorrow. I bought a '87 with a 4.2. I need to change valve cover gasket. I am mechanically inclined just have never done much work on vehicles before. (Mostly snowmobiles, street bikes, and simple stuff on vehicles like starters, radiators, alternators, heater cores...etc.) How long should I expect? 2hr? Any tricks or tactics? What other things should I inspect while I have the cover off? The lifters do not tick and it is relatively quite for the 160k on it.

 

[56cj5]

Sounds to me like your in good shape. It's a pretty strait foreword job. If you have experience with small engines and snowmobiles and such. Same rules apply. Keep it clean. Follow torque specs.

 

[56cj5]

I don't see the job taking more than 40 min. If all the bolts come free. And clean up is easy

 

[duckkillerclyde]

Thanks

 

[duckkillerclyde]

Still have oil leak. I changed valve cover gasket and pan gasket. Thinking rear seal.....

I will leave a spot the size of a JFK half dollar if it sits and idles for 30 min in one spot.


What do you think?

 

[superj]

Could be, rear main leak is common

 

[duckkillerclyde]

Could be, rear main leak is common

any tricks or anything I should know when pulling the transmission? It is an automatic. I've never taken an automatic transmission out before. I've done manual on nissan pickups s10 pickups and a power stroke and international and john deere tractors but tractors are probably easier since you can actually get to the bolts.

 

[superj]

you don't have to pull the trans, its a two piece rear main. drop the pan and pull the seal out a half at a time

 

[duckkillerclyde]

finally did the rear main yesterday. I don't know if she's leaking any slower or not! Wasn't that bad at all. I picked it up with hoist in shop sat on a chair and went to town.

 

[lah2420]

I had an 87. If it's the plastic valve cover, I never got mine to stop leaking until I put on an aluminum cover. I've also had it leak around the oil pressure sensor.

 

[duckkillerclyde]

I had an 87. If it's the plastic valve cover, I never got mine to stop leaking until I put on an aluminum cover. I've also had it leak around the oil pressure sensor.

Read the thread, that happened in February.

 

[daily_destroyer]

ok guys i got a delema for ya i have replaced the rear main seal, the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, timing chain and cover gasket!!!!! all in the last 3 weeks and i am losing oil out of bellhousing around inspection plate. does anyone have any ideas????? BTW i replaced the valve cover with an aluminum one am using the foam & metal gasket. so far no leaks i can find by inspection externally.

 

[superj]

thats weird. if it was leaking around the pilot bearing then your oil slinger is destroyed in the engine but i think if it was the oil slinger being messed up, your clutch would slip because your flywheel would become an oil slinger now. i have no idea on that one